Hiren

I play one and a half hours of Tennis everyday followed by 10 minutes of swimming. I used to eat a couple of Banannas before playing but somebody told me that one should have different sources of potassium everyday as otherwise it ceases to have any effect on the body. This implies that I should have different sources of potassium everyday. I just wanted to confirm whether this is true. I feel fatigued at times but that could also be because of the weather or over exercising. Basically, can one have the same sports nutrition everyday?-

We play on synthetic courts. An Orthopaedist told me that playing on such courts at my age(40 plus) could prove extremely harmful for the knees in the long run. That set me wondering whether I should wear knee caps as a preventive measure. Some say that there is no need to wear it if there is no knee problem.. There is nothing currently wrong with my knees. Should I wear knee caps or not? If yes, which type are the best?

I understand that with non veg food, one should eat fibrous foods, vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins and enzymes etc. Is there anything else apart from this and are these foods supposed to be had in some sequence(fruit first for instance) in a non veg meal to prevent any harmful affects on the digestive system? Basically how to eat non veg with minimum of harm?

Other forms or exercises advocate that the same set of exercises should not be done everyday as it can result in muscle retardation/burnout. Does the same apply to Yoga as well?

If something like Tennis elbow does not go despite resting and mild exercise, should radiation be used?

For Tennis elbow, apart from low tension(55 I think) string, I came to know that one has to string from individual packets as against common coil as the raisin on the packaged coil absorb the shock better. It is very interesting and if anyone can add to that , I would appreciate that. I also wonder about the efficacy of shock absorbers and having a double grip for Tennis elbow.

Top spin in general is better for control and consistency. I hit a double handed backhand flat shot naturally but want to switchover to double handed backhand top spin so that my consistency improves and I can also lob better. However it seems to be more difficult than a topspin forehand. Can someone please comment on this- does it require a change of grip or hand position or whatever. ?

From what I know, the three sweet spots on the Tennis raquet are- Centre of the racquet for minimum vibration, slightly below that for minimim initial impact and about half an inch below that maaximum bounce or force. Yet I was told that while hitting the top spin, one should hit from the top of the racquet. Near the top of the racquet is actually what is called the dead spot is. Can someone please confirm this- Should the top spin be hit from the top of the racquet or the bottom where the sweet spot is?

Our pool was reconstructed recently and it seems that instead of shallow of 3feet we have a shallow of 2.75ft but on measuring it it was found to be below 2.5ft which is why our hand touches the floor on swimming freestyle in shallow. Just wondering that the international standard for shallow is.

Also, any tips for improving buoyancy while swimming in such a situation?

In the pool when I am kicking with the kickboard in front of me, many times I just stay still or move very slowly. Even when the kickboard is not there, with both hands forward, I don't seem to make much headaway only through kicking. As far as I know one is supposed to push through the water througk kicking rather than pull through the arms. How does one improve the push only through kicking when the arms are dormant?

I seem to have jumed the gun and can swim but not float properly. I suppose if one can float in a stremalined position well, it helps reduce drag. Is it an absolute must to swim properly if not efficienty? Should one not swim at all till one has learnt to float. ?

In the earlier question on floating at this forum, someone replied that people whose specific gravity is less than one can float well-http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=200708... How does one calculate that?

For those with specific gravity >1 , should they try floating without sculling at all? Is it possible?

Basically, what is the significance of floating in swimming?

If I were to list the points I have come across:-

1 Hip Rotation to enable total body rotation

2) Streamlined body as narrow and long as possible

3) Head in the water as much as possible

4) Constant arm movement

5) Breathing in and out just sufficiently to remain afloat.

For somebody learning to swim, sculling is supposed to help one keep afloat or help for better feel of the water. I have not mentioned leg movement above becasue that is more to push oneself through the water.

Kindly confirm or add anything if missing

As I understand, one has to breathe in from the mouth and breathe out from the mouth and nose underwater till most of the air is gone and take in the breathe again. Our local coach says that one should try to breathe out all the air as slowly as possible to improve the breathing process as a bubbling exercise. Are there any other breathing drills inside the pool? Does any breathing exercise outside the pool like yogic pranayam improve breathing in the pool?Any suggestions to improve breathing in the pool would be appreciated.

Elsewhere in this forum, someone answered that pushups are helpful for upperbody movement. Which other exercise is helpful for swimming? Do other cardiovascular exercises improve swimming directly? What warmup exercise is one supposed to do before swimming?

Someone told me today that the problem with bulk purchase of Tennis balls is that after a few months, if the balls are not taken out, the pressure on the balls gets reduced and they get worn out. How long are they likely to last?

It is difficult to hit a flat or topspin angular shot with a double handed backhand the way one hits a forehand sharp angular shot . Isn't a sliced single handed backhand a better option to hit backhand angular shots(if the normal shot is a top spin or flat double backhand) just the way a slice is better when one faces a high backhand ball?

Please refer to this link:-

http://www.fightingarts.com/ubbthreads/showflat.ph...

The finger push up is given as two finger zen. What is the connection?

It is given in one of the answers related to push ups that they may adversly affect height. Then , at what age should one start? Also, can pushups ,dips, pullups be done everyday unlike bicepts and triceps with free weights which are advised on alternate days.

A couple of my friends from Nigeria came after a very long time. They gave their yahoo email addresses but when I type in the yahoo search nothing happens. One of them is also showing undelivered mail and the other does not respond. How does one locate them at yahoo?